Following our Ophelia showings at Theatre by the Lake, Keswick, and 53Two, Manchester, we catch up with our Producer and co-Artistic Director Amy to hear her thoughts on the R&D.
Above: Amy leading a workshop with secondary school students in Cumbria.
Q: So, Amy, you're the Creative Producer of Ophelia. What does that involve?
AMY: A bit of everything - it's kind of business-meets-creativity. My role is to ensure that the project runs as smoothly as possible, which can be everything from liaising with venues, to managing the creative team, marketing and admin, and engaging with the community by leading our Ophelia workshops for teenagers in Cumbria.
Q: Now the R&D is complete (apart from a couple of workshops mid-September), you're able to reflect on the process. What's been your favourite part?
AMY: I can't pick just pick one, so here's two. Firstly working with teenagers in Cumbria - we went to lots of different groups, from schools to Pride in North Cumbria, to youth theatres - and we delivered workshops around the themes of Ophelia. We were able to hear their own experiences of growing up in Cumbria which was really enlightening and felt very full circle having grown up here myself. Second part - seeing the creativity of the Ophelia team and watching them explore ideas in rehearsals as the play grows... that's been lovely.
Q: Speaking of the workshops, can you give us some more information about what they involved?
AMY: We wanted to ensure that Ophelia was as authentic as possible and with it being about young people and mental health, we needed to check in and make sure it resonated and felt truthful, because it's been some time since Hannah and I were teenagers. So we decided to work directly with young people as we developed the piece. This meant going into schools and other pre-existing groups to deliver a drama workshop that allowed us to hear their experiences of growing up in Cumbria whilst also developing their skills and hopefully demonstrating that you can come from Cumbria and make professional high-quality work - because as Cumbrians, we don't always see ourselves represented in the industry and we don't often see Cumbrian stories on stage.
Q: Now it's almost over, how do you feel about the R&D and the future of Ophelia?
AMY: Very, very, very proud of the whole creative team and really proud to have worked on Ophelia. I'm so glad we have this beautiful show that will go and grow even further. I'm also really tired! It's been a lot of hard work and I think people don't always see that - or appreciate how much work goes into these projects. There's an endless to-do list which is part of being a producer really. So I'm tired, proud, and creatively fulfilled. I'm also incredibly excited about the future of the show because I think we have something really special.
We're aiming to tour Ophelia next year. Keep an eye on our socials and website for future details.